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<h1>BZFlag Readme</h1>
<hr>
<p>
This is the README file for the Windows version of BZFlag.
</p>
<p>
<a href="http://bzflag.org/">BZFlag</a> is a network
multiplayer 3D tank battle game. You can play against several other
people anywhere on the Internet. BZFlag is freeware and Open Source;
please read the file COPYING found where you installed BZFlag.</p>
<hr>
<h2>Requirements</h2>
<p>
BZFlag will run on Windows XP SP3 and Vista/7/8.1/10 systems. A hardware accelerated
graphics card with current drivers is highly recommended for adequate
performance. The game requires
<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/179113">
DirectX 9.0c or greater</a> to be installed.
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Global Registration</h2>
<p>Many game servers require users to be globally registered to play.
Global registration is free and handled by the official BZFlag forums.
Please go to <a href="https://forums.bzflag.org/">https://forums.bzflag.org/</a>
to create a global account. A valid e-mail address is required.</p>
<hr>
<h2>Uninstalling</h2>
<p>
Navigate to the Start Menu and locate the BZFlag directory. Click on the
Uninstall item and follow the onscreen directions. Note that your configuration
will not be deleted. This is stored in your documents folder under "My BZFlag
Files".
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Playing</h2>
<p>
To begin playing BZFlag, launch the game using the start menu
or quicklaunch shortcuts.  The game will go fullscreen (unless you
are starting in windowed mode), load its data files, and show the
main menu.
</p>
<p>
Use the arrow, enter, and escape keys to navigate the menus.
You should first browse the `Help' menu.  Use Page Up and Page
Down to cycle through the help pages.  These pages explain the
game, how to play, and which keys are bound to which controls.
You can change the key bindings from the `Change Key Mapping'
menu under `Options' menu.
</p>
<p>
To play you must join a game using the `Join Game' menu.
Use `Find Server' to search for an existing server.  Select a
server from the list and press enter (press escape to cancel).
This sets the server name and port number in the `Join Game'
menu.  You can enter a name manually if `Find Server' doesn't
show the server you want.  You may need to set the port too.
The default port number is 5154 and most servers will use this.
</p>
<p>
If you haven't entered a callsign before, you need to type one
before connecting to a server.  This is the name you'll be known
by during the game.  You should also choose a team before
joining the server.  Many servers may block specific teams, or the
teams might be full. If so, try a different team or choose `Automatic'.
You cannot change teams once you've joined a game, though you can
reconnect later with a different team and/or callsign.
</p>
<p>
Once you have your callsign, team, server, and port set up, use
`Connect' to join the game.  If anything goes wrong, the game
will show an error message telling you how to correct the
problem.  Otherwise, you'll find yourself ready to play.
</p>
<p>
Your name and score are shown in your team color in the upper
left.  The scoreboard lists all the players (in order by score),
their scores, what flag they are carrying (if any), and the
number of times you've killed and been killed by that player.
Your current status is at the top center.  Press the right
mouse button or the `i' key to start playing!
</p>
<p>
For additional information, check out the
<a href="https://wiki.bzflag.org/Getting_Started">Getting Started</a> page on
our wiki.
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Trouble</h2>
<p>
Typical problems with BZFlag involve either the graphics or the
network. A list of some <a href="https://wiki.bzflag.org/Common_Support_Issues">
Common Support Issues</a> is available on the BZFlag wiki.
</p>
<h3>Graphics</h3>
<p>
BZFlag uses OpenGL for rendering. As per the system requirements, it is
recommended that you have hardware accelerated graphics with the latest video
drivers. When you start the game, the `OpenGL Driver` will be displayed in the
text console at the bottom of the screen. If this is shown as `GDI Generic', it
means that you do not have functioning hardware accelerated graphics. You
should install the latest driver for your graphics chipset and try the game
again. Here are some of the common video chipsets:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx">nVidia</a></li>
<li><a href="http://support.amd.com/en-us/download">ATI/AMD</a></li>
<li><a href="http://downloadcenter.intel.com/">Intel</a></li>
</ul>
</p>
<p>
Even with hardware acceleration, some cards support OpenGL better than others.
You may want to fiddle with the graphics options in the `Options' menu if your
frame rate is low or the graphics look wrong.  The `t' and `y' keys toggle
frame rate and time-per-frame readouts. If you are having very low framerates,
ensure that Lighting and Shadows are off. Some of the lowest graphics settings
are actually optimized for very old graphics chipsets or for software rendering
and may actually run slower than higher settings.
</p>
<p>
If the game runs but the rendering is wrong, your OpenGL driver is broken. It
is <b>not</b> a problem with BZFlag. Try installing the latest video driver
from your graphics card manufacturer.
</p>
<p>
The majority of graphics problems are caused by <strong>old or incompatible
video drivers</strong>. The video drivers that come with Windows or are
distributed through Windows Update are <strong>never</strong> current and do
not provide the OpenGL functions BZFlag needs. Always get the current driver
for your video card from the card manufacturer or chipset company. If you are
using a laptop you may have to get the current driver from your laptop
manufacturer.
</p>
<p>
If the game looks too bright or too dark, you can adjust the `Brightness'
setting in-game under the Options > Display Settings menu.
</p>
<h3>Network</h3>
<p>
Network problems can be more difficult to track down. If you have a firewall,
make sure it is allowing BZFlag to communicate with the Internet. The client
will talk on port 80 to various web services such as the list server and the
message of the day. It will also communicate on whatever port a server is
running on, such as 5154, using both TCP and UDP.
</p>
<p>
Due to our initial communication on port 80, some anti-virus or firewalls may
classify the client as a browser and then heavily restrict traffic. One such
example is the anti-virus program Nod32. To fix this in Nod32, right click on
Nod32 in the system tray, go to Advanced Setup. From there, go to Web access
protection &gt; HTTP, HTTPS &gt; Web browsers, and uncheck BZFlag. These steps
will of course be different for other anti-virus and firewalls.
</p>
<p>
If you're using BZFlag over a dialup modem, you will need to connect to the
Internet before starting BZFlag.
</p>
<p>
Visit the <a href="http://bzflag.org/">BZFlag Home Page</a> and the
<a href="https://wiki.bzflag.org/">BZFlag Wiki</a> for more information and
online help.
</p>
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